Extension table



May 31, 1938. A. ASHKENAS 5 9 'EXTENSICN TABLE I Filed Feb. 20, 1937 2 Sheets-Shea;

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EXTENSION TABLE Filed Feb. 20, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A51AHAM49HKBVA2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented May 31, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to extension tables in which extension leaves, when not in use, are retracted and supported under the main top section of the table, and when desired for use are drawn out from under said top section and elevated into alignment with and maintained against the ends of said top section.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved extension table whereby the extension leaves when in extended position, will be supported firmly on the leg-supported frame of the table, and not on the top of the table, and will be maintained in perfect alignment with the main top section of the table.

A more particular object is to provide an extension table in which a spring will be brought under tension only when the extension leaves have been drawn out nearly to their extended position, to hold the leaves in their extended position against the ends of the main section of the top of the table, thus enabling said leaves to be easily drawn out from under the main top section into their extended position.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel and useful provision, formation, construction, association, and relative arrangement of parts, members and features, all as shown in a certain embodiment in the accompanying drawings, described generally, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of my table with the lower portion of its legs. broken away, and showing in full lines one of the extension leaves in extended position and the other leaf in retracted position, and in dotted lines said other leaf in extended position,

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of my table taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 in the upward direction as indicated by the arrows,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of my table taken on line 33 of Figure 2, but

showing one of the extension leaves in its retracted position under one end of the main section of the top of the table,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of my table taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

showing one of the extension leaves in extended position,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of my table taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross section taken on line 66 of Figure 5,

Figure '7 is a fragmentary cross section taken on line 1-1 of Figure 4, V

Figure 8 is a fragmentary cross section taken on line 8-8 of Figure 9 of a modification of my invention,

Figure 9 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken on line 99 of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is a perspective of one of the supporting runners and hooks for the extension leaves, and,

Figure 11 is a perspective of a modification of one of the supporting runners for the extension leaves.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by 1; the same reference characters in all of the figures, I designates the legs, 2 the top supporting frame, 3 the main top section, and 4 the extension leaves of my extension table.

The top supporting frame 2 comprises two 20 side bars 5, two end bars 0, and two intermediate cross bars 1, the side bars and end bars being secured at their ends to the legs i and said cross bars being secured at their ends to the side bars 5 and at their upper edges to the under side of the main top section 3, in spaced relation to said end bars 6, respectively, and to each other.

Spacing plates 8 are secured on the upper edges of the side bars 5, respectively, by screws 9, and the main section 3 of the table top is secured 30 on the upper side of said spacing plates 8 by screws I0, which plates space said top section above the upper edges of the frame 2 at a distance sufiicient to permit the extension leaves 4 to be retracted between the upper edges of said 35 frame and to the under side of said top section, and said spacing plates being shorter than the length of said top section and said frame to permit said leaves to be retracted, as aforesaid, against their ends, which limits the retraction 40 of said leaves with their outer edges flush with the end edges of said top section, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 5.

Each of the extension leaves 4 is secured to the upper edges of a pair of slide bars H at the for- 45 ward ends of said bars, which are slidably mounted in Vertical slots l2 and I3 in an end bar 6 and a cross bar I, respectively, of the top supporting frame 2, the slots I2 being provided with auxiliary slots 14 in one of their side Walls for ,50 the purpose hereinafter described. A rear portion of the lower edges of said slide bars H is inclined downwardly in'the rearward direction of said bars. and forms cam surface l5 for engaging the lower ends of the slots I3 in said cross bar I 55 for raising the rear portions of said bars 4, when said leaf is drawn out from under the main top section 3 into its extended position. Pins I6 project from one side of said slide bars II for engaging a cross bar 'I and limiting the outward sliding movement of said slide bars and the extension leaf 4, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 4 of the drawings. Handles H are secured to the under side of the leaves 4 near their outer edges to be grasped by ones hand for drawing out said leaves into their extended positions or for retracting said leaves under the ends of the main top section 3 of the table.

Runners I3 are secured on the slide bars I I for sliding onto the upper edges of the end frame bars 6 to support the leaves 4 when said leaves are drawn out from under the main top section 3 and elevated into their extended positions, as illustrated in Figures 2, 4, and 7 of the drawings. An auxiliary holding means I9 is also provided for holding each leaf 4 from the main top section 3 of the table in perfect alignment with said top section, with the upper surface of the said top section, and to relieve the upper edges of the end frame bars 6, as much as posible, from wear of the runners I8 on said bars.

Each of the runners I8 comprises'an inverted channel member 23 and a runner shoe 2I, outstanding from the lower edge of one of the side walls 22 of said channel member, the upper wall 23 and the other side wall 24 of said channel member being shorter in length than said side wall 22 and shoe 2!) which are of the same length, as clearly shown in Figure 10 of the drawings. The side walls 22 and 24 of the channel member 23 of each runner I8 are provided with screw holes 25, and said channel member is fitted over the upper edge of a slide bar II with its side walls 22 and 24 fitted against the sides of said bar and its upper wall 23 spaced a short distance above the upper edge of said bar, in which position the runner IB is secured on said bar by screws 26 driven through said screw holes into said bar.

The auxiliary holding means I9 for each leaf 4 comprises a pair of keeper plates 21 secured to the under side of the main top section 3 of the table, and catches 28 on the channel members 20 of the runners I8 on the pair of slide bars I I on which the leaf is secured- Each keeper plate 21 extends across a recess 29 in the under side of the main section 3 of the table top and is secured at its ends to said top section by screws 30. The catch 28 of the channel member 20 of each runner I8 is formed in said channel member by slots 3! extending longitudinally in the side walls 22 and 24 of said channel member from the short end of the upper wall 23 of said channel member, the other end of said upper wall and side wall 24 coinciding with one end of the side wall 22 and shoe 2I of the runner I8, as best shown in Figure 10 of the drawings. The lower edges 32 of the catches 28 are in clined slightly in an upward direction to the short end of the upper wall 23 of the channel members 20 of the runners I8 so that when said catches enter the recesses 29 and are slid over one edge of the keeper plates 21, the leaves 4 will be drawn upwardly slightly until the upper surface of said leaves are flush with the upper surface of the main top section 3, as illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings.

Springs 33 are provided for holding the leaves 4 with their inner edges against the end edges of the main top section of the table, when said leaves are drawn out from under said top section and elevated into their extended positions, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. Each spring 33 is secured at its outer end, at 34, to the under side of a leaf 4', and at its inner end to a cross pin 35, and the spring extends through an opening 36 in an end bar 6 of the table top supporting frame 2 into a horizontal channel bar 31 extending between said end frame bar and the nearest cross frame bar I, the ends of said channel bar being secured to said frame bars 8 and 'I as illustrated in Figures 2, 5 and 6 of the drawings.

In the modification of the runner, illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and 11 of the drawings, the runner, designated as 40, has no catches 28 or chan nel member 28, but comprises a single vertical side wall 4| and a horizontal shoe 42 extending outwardly at right angles from the lower edge of said side wall, there being a pair of screw holes 43 in said side wall near the ends thereof, respectively, and a pair of prongs 44 struck out of said side wall, between said screw holes from the inner edge of said shoe 42, and bent down from the inner side of said side wall at right angles thereto and parallel to said shoe so that they extend from the inner side of said side wall. The side wall M is fitted to one side of a slide bar I I and the prongs 44 driven into said bar,

while screws 45 are driven through the screw holes 43 into said bar to secure the runner 45 on said slide bar.

The operation, uses and advantages of my invention are as follows:

The extension leaves 4 when not in use are retracted under the ends of the main section 3 of the top of the table, as illustrated at the right end of the tablein Figures 2, 3 and 5, in which position of the leaves the catches 28 are disengaged from the keeper plates 21 and the forward ends of the inclined lower cam edges iii of the slide bars II are adjacent the rear sides of the frame cross bars I, as shown in Figure 3, while the springs 33 are retracted and positioned entirely within the channel bars 3?, except for their outer ends which extend through the openings 36 in the end frame bars 6 to their points of connections at 34 with said leaves 4, as shown at the right of Figures 2 and 5 of the drawings.

When it is desired to extend the top of the table the leaf handles i! are grasped by ones hands and the leaves 4 drawn outwardly from under the main section 3 of the table top, the runner shoes 2i passing through the auxiliary slots I4 in frame end bars 6, until the rear edges of said leaves are beyond the ends respectively of said top section 3 and the catches 28 are beyond the forward edges of the keeper plates 2'l, during which operation the lower inclined cam edges 1 5 of the slide bars II engage the lower ends of the slots I3 in the frame cross bars I, and raise the rear ends of said slide bars against the under side of the top section 3, while the spring cross pins 35, near the end of the extension movement of the leaves engage the inner sides of the frame end bars 6 at opposite sides of the spring openings 36, and cause the springs 33 to be expanded. The leaves 4 are then raised into alignment with the table top section 3 and until the forward ends of the slide bars II engage the under side of said table-top section and the catches 28 enter the recesses 29 in the under side of said top section. The outward pulling force on the leaves 4 is then relieved, and the expanded springs 33 are allowed to contract to draw said leaves, slide bars ll, runners I8 and catches 28 backwardly, until the rear edges of the leaves engage the ends, respectively, of the main top section 3, the runner shoes 2! rest upon the upper edges of the frame end bars 6, and the catches 28 engage the upper forward edges of the keeper plates 21, the lower inclined edges of said catches camming against said upper forward edges of said keeper plates and drawing the leaves 4 upwardly slightly until their upper surfaces are flush with the upper surface of the main top section 3 of the table, in which position the parts are held under tension by the springs 33, as illustrated at the left of Figures 1 and 2, and in Figure 3.

When it is desired to retract the leaves to shorten the table top, the leaf handles I! are grasped by ones hands and the leaves 4, slide bars II, runners i8, and catches 28 are drawn outwardly and lowered until the lower edges of said slide bars rest upon the lower ends of the slots 12 in the frame end bars 6, in which position of the bars the leaves rest forwardly of and below the main top section 3 of the table, the catches 28 are disengaged from the keeper plates 27 and rest below the under side of said top secticn, and the runner shoes 2| are forwardly of and in alignment with the auxiliary slots 14 of the slide bar slots l2. The outward pulling force on the leaves 4 is then relieved, and the expanded springs 33 allowed to contract and apply a backward pulling force to the leaves, while the leaves are pushed inwardly under the main top section 3 of the table, the runner shoes 2| passing through the auxiliary slots M in the frame end bars 6 and the inclined lower edges l of the slide bars H allowing the rear ends of said bars to descend until the leaves 4 are completely retracted under said top section, with their outer edges coinciding with the outer ends of said top section, and the slide bars ll, runners l8 and catches 28 are also completely retracted, as illustrated at the right of Figures 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the drawings.

My table is used as a conventional extension table for dining rooms, and may be used for other purposes.

The extension leaves being supported by the runners I8 on the frame end members 6, any load on said leaves is relieved from the main top section 3 where it is usually sustained in the conventional extension table, and my means of supporting the leaves thus enables the leaves to sustain greater loads and provides a stronger and firmer extension table than otherwise.

The springs 33 being brought into action only when the extension leaves have been drawn out nearly to their extended positions, enables the leaves to be extended and contracted with less labor and greater ease than otherwise.

I claim:

1. In an extension table, a supporting frame including an end bar, a main top section, an extension. leaf, means for supporting said leaf in its extended position beyond said top section, a spring secured at its forward end to said leaf and extending through an opening in said end bar, and a cross pin secured to the rear end of said spring for engaging said end bar only when said leaf is drawn out nearly to its extended position for causing said spring to be expanded for holding said leaf against the end of said top section, when said leaf is in its extended position.

2. In an extension table, a supporting frame, a main top section, a pair of slide bars mounted in said supporting frame, an extension leaf mounted on said slide bars, runners mounted on said slide bars, respectively, each of said runners comprising a channel member, a shoe outstanding from the lower edge of one wall of said channel member, and a catch formed in the upper portion of said channel member, the channel members of said runners being fitted over the upper edges of said slide bars, respectively, and secured to said slide bars, the shoes of said runners being arranged to engage said top frame for supporting said leaf in its extended position, and keeper plates secured to the under side of said main top section to be engaged by said catches when said leaf is in its extended position.

ABRAHAM ASHKENAS. 

